TROYAK EXECUTIVE TEAM is informing all members, colleagues, collectors and Polonia at large, that Club meetings taking place at John Paul II Polish Cultural Centre, 4300 Cawthra Rd. (just south of Hwy. 403), Mississauga, Ontario. The new members are always welcome. www.polishculturalcentre.ca

AN INVITATION TO ... "Troyak Junior" Philatelic Club ! "Troyak" Club Executive Team has established "Troyak Junior" Philatelic Club. The official introduction of the "Troyak Junior" Philatelic Club, took place during the II Polish-Canadian Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Show, on February 20, 2005, at John Paul II Polish Cultural Centre in Mississauga. "Troyak" Executive Team and Zygmunt (Ziggy) Borowski, Director of the "Troyak Junior" Philatelic Club, invites all children and their parents and also teenagers to join the club. Meetings taking place at: John Paul II Polish Cultural Centre, 4300 Cawthra Rd. (just south of Hwy. 403), Mississauga, Ontario. For more information, contact: Ziggy Borowski at 416-454-2790 or
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Celebrate the Nativity spirit to your holiday mail with this booklet of 12 domestic stamps featuring Virgin and Child, an elegant Renaissance image of Mary and the infant Jesus. This colourful collectible, featuring a stamp, designed by Louise Méthé, depicts a rare work by an anonymous artist known only as Master of the Castello Nativity. The piece was created circa 1460 and painted in tempera, which is made from coloured pigment mixed with water and a binding agent, often raw egg. The many layers required in this technique contribute to the work's vivid, intense colours. Virgin and Child is part of a generous donation to The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts from the collection of Michal and Renata Hornstein. In tribute to the museum, the cancel location is Montreal, Quebec.

Narodowy Bank Polski is the central bank of the State, responsible for its monetary policy and price stability. The Bank's functions are described in the Constitution of the Republic of Poland and the Act on NBP. NBP holds the exclusive right to issue the currency of the Republic of Poland. As the central bank, it does not provide accounts for the general public, accept deposits from or extend loans to individuals. It acts as a banker to the State budget and public sector entities. NBP also holds and manages the foreign exchange reserves of the State. Finally, it functions as a banker to banks, creating conditions for the operation of the Polish banking system. Narodowy Bank Polski is one of the most important research and analytical centres in the fields of economics and financial markets. On 14 June 2016 Narodowy Bank Polski issued into circulation a coin of the series "History of Polish Coin" – the ducat of Sigismund the Elder with a face value of 20 zł.

Sigismund the Elder's reign (1506–1548) marks the beginning of a new era in the history of Polish money. The epoch of late medieval coins, based on the half-grosz, was over, and the era of modern money began. It was then that a complete monetary system was born. It was based on the złoty, a unit of account which was equal to 30 real grosz. There were also multiples of the grosz, namely the trojak (three grosz) and the szóstak (six grosz), as well as smaller denominations – the półgroszek (half-grosz), denarius and ternar (worth three denarii). The appearance of coins also changed. Gothic letters in inscriptions were replaced by what was referred to as Latin letters.

Truly Renaissance-style, realistic portraits of the king appeared, and dates of issue started to be included in the legends. Of crucial significance was the introduction of a gold currency – the Polish złoty called the ducat – in 1528. We have chosen a ducat from 1529 for our series. The obverse of the coin features a bust of the king wearing armour and a crown, turned to the right. A striking element is the caul that the king is wearing under his crown, which resembles a hairstyle. The inscription along the rim reads: SIGIS[mundus] I – REX*POL[onie]*, i.e. Sigismund the First – King of Poland. At the bottom, horizontally, there is the date 1529 and a plant ornament. On the reverse, beneath the crown, there is a five-field shield. At the top it bears the Polish Eagle and the Lithuanian Chase, at the bottom – the Russian Lion and the Prussian Eagle, while in the centre – the Habsburg coat–of-arms.

This last one commemorated the king's mother, Elisabeth of Austria. On the sides of the shield there are the letters C – N, denoting the place of minting (Cracovia) and the first name of the Crown Treasurer, Mikołaj Szydłowiecki (Nicolaus). The inscription along the rim reads: IVSTVS VT PALMA FLOREBIT (The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree). The central motif on the new coin is of course the representation of the ducat. The obverse additionally features a round label with the Eagle, the denomination – 20 złoty and the date – 2016. The whole coin has been placed in a most impressive framing alluding to the interior of the dome of the Sigismund Chapel in Wawel Cathedral in Cracow. On the opposite side, the reverse of the ducat is accompanied by the Eagle (in the form of laser ground print) beneath a crown from a 16th-century woodcut. Info: Stanisław Suchodolski.

Historical Notice: This issue of stamps in higher values continues to depict scenes of Canadian interest from coast to coast. A Royal Canadian Mounted Police constable on horseback with a prairie background. The force, organized in 1873, has built a tradition of service, courage, and integrity. First known as the North West Mounted Police, the men confined their duties to the Northwest Territories. The term Royal was prefixed to the title in 1904, and in 1920 the name was changed to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

More history ... Maintiens le droit. Motto of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. In 1873 a tragic event occurred on the western plains which led to the creation of the North West Mounted Police. At the Cypress Hills Massacre a party of Americans shot down eighty Assiniboine Indians accused of stealing horses. Faced with threats of an Indian uprising, the government organized the Royal North West Mounted Police to bring law and order to the then unprotected prairies. The new police force of 300 mounted riflemen moved on a 1959-mile journey through the West, visiting the Indians and setting up their forts. They negotiated treaties with the tribes of the plains and assisted them in building a new life on reservations. The peaceful settlement of the Canadian West is a tribute to these Mounties, who in 1920 became the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. (12)

Share the joy of the holiday season with this fun and festive souvenir sheet featuring all three stamps in this year's Christmas series. On the domestic stamp, a smiling Santa stands in the snow facing a jovial tree. On the U.S.-rate stamp, a vibrant green tree is adorned with a red Santa hat. The international-rate stamp features a white dove, carrying an olive branch, a symbol of peace. These joyful stamps are based on original illustrations by the late Rolf Harder, an influential Canadian designer whose work is featured in the permanent collections of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Quebec and the Museum of Modern Art of New York. Harder, who died in 2013, designed more than 60 stamps for Canada Post over the course of his distinguished career. The stamps were designed by Hélène L'Heureux under the direction of Harder's daughter, Vivi Harder. Also, three iconic Yuletide symbols bring festive flair to this charming Official First Day Cover featuring all three stamps.

Third coin in a series that celebrates some of Canada's most awe-inspiring natural landscapes in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. Detailed engraving recreates an artist's touch, as this recreation of a painting by Canadian artist Stéphanie Gauvin results in a truly breathtaking, collectible piece of art. Features show-stopping colour! The use of bold colouring recreates nature's playful contrast between light and shadows, as the fading winter sun infuses the landscape with a brief burst of remarkable colours.